Enantioselective synthesis of (1S,3S,7R)-3-methyl-α-himachalene, the sex pheromone of the sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis from Jacobina, Brazil

(1S,3S,7R)-3-Methyl-α-himachalene, the sex pheromone of the male sandfly (Lutzomyia longipalpis) from Jacobina, Brazil, was synthesized enantioselectively by employing Evans’ or Oppolzer’s asymmetric methylation as the key step. The absolute configuration at the ring junction of this pheromone is opposite to that of the known (1R,7R)-α-himachalene of plant origin.